Even though Alphonse liked the quiet, this was not a peaceful place. His surroundings were dark and the silence was occasionally broken by the dripping of water somewhere. He tried to move but his arms were bound in chains that were connected to the wall by alchemy. He hated the deep seated sadness that took over his mind.

It wasn't so much the surroundings that brought on the wave of depression but the uncertainty of the situation. Some of the most recent events seemed so unreal, he'd have sworn he was hallucinated. But here he sat, in the dark, unable to get out. Part of him blamed himself for this whole mess. If he'd just put his foot down, if he'd called the Colonel like he'd wanted to then he would not be stuck here.

Leaning forward, he rested more on the restraints. There was no point struggling against them, he'd already tried with all his strength only to find they held firm. Above his head there was an air duck blowing air into the room, although he couldn't feel it. There was the sound of voices from far away, wondering through the vent.

He strained to listen but the person speaking had a low tone to their voice that was hard to understand over the air. Just when he'd given up on hearing anything important, there was a startled scream. The sound would send a chill through anyone who'd have heard it. It was the sound of pain and fear. He recognized the voice and it alerted him to struggle again but only for a moment. That same voice was now yelling something inaudible but that soon died down. A soft sob escaped the armor as he leaned forward, helplessly.

"Ed...what are we gonna do?" He spoke softly to himself, trying to find a solution. Nothing came to mind though.

oOoOo

"Oh I'm gonna kill him!" Roy slammed down the phone in an angry burst. It was loud enough to get attention from outside the office. Riza poked her head in, along with Havoc.

"Is there a problem sir?" His dark glare shifted to her direction and she had a pretty good idea who he was referring to.

"I have to leave, now." He stood from his desk, fists balled at his side as he headed out the door. The rest of his staff except Hawkeye immediately went back to work as though they had heard nothing but he knew otherwise.

"Do you want me to come with you?" She knew she couldn't change his mind, even if he had no idea what he was walking into either. He turned to her, mulling it over for a minute.

"No, you'd better just stay here. Already got one subordinate in trouble." He decided scratching his forehead as if trying to think straight. Riza nodded and brought her hand behind her back and removed her gun.

"Then please take this with you, just in case." He absentmindedly took it from her and she was glad he didn't ask her in case of what.

"I can't believe that little punk, after I specifically told him no. I'll have him court martialed." She knew his anger was more out of concern and a small smile formed on her lips.

"Safe trip, sir."

oOoOo

Edward removed his red jacket as the sweltering heat hit him as they exited the office, leaving just his tank top. The temperature had to be over eighty degrees now that the sun was high overhead. They were told that Ferguson had a lab located on the outskirts of the city. Although no one had seen him for awhile now, that would be the best place to find him.

Deciding to avoid the city, the Elric brothers went around it. It would be best if the people here didn't know the military was present. Veritas city was literally in the middle of nowhere. The route that they took was rocky with few trees. Ed moved slow, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Sheesh, it's soo hot. How much farther is it?" He was leaning forward, dragging his feet. Al brought his hand up to shade his eyes.
"I think I see something up ahead." Edward brought his head up, trying to see.

"Really where?"

"It's right there, you can't see it cause..." His younger brother hesitated, receiving an irritated glare.

"Cause why, Alphonse?" Al shifted his crimson gaze and rubbed the back of his helmet. "Cause I'm short!"

"I didn't say that." Ed looked away, making a face and slouching even more.

"But you were thinking it." Alphonse chose to let it drop. Sure enough, within minutes a solitary building appeared. It was bigger then they expected, more like a small complex with a solid brick wall surrounding it. The front gate had two guards that were unarmed. "We could probably take them down pretty easy," Edward pointed out as they remained low, hiding behind several large rocks.

"I don't know why they wouldn't have weapons, maybe he doesn't think anyone would come all the way out here."

"Well, it's now or never. Let's go." Alphonse nodded and they moved out from their hiding place and charged the two guards. As they came in contact, something caused them to stop.

"Brother, what's wrong with them?" Ed was speechless as he didn't even know where to begin. Both guards were swaying on their feet, eyes glazed over and mouths hanging open. They didn't even acknowledge the Elric brothers standing there. Ed waved his hand back and forth in front of the one's face. No response.

"I don't get it." Ed's amber gaze moved from one to the other. "Guess we can just go in." As he moved past them through the opening, one grabbed him by the arm. Despite the heat, a shiver ran down his back and an alarmed yelp left his mouth. The guard turned, his eyes finally making contact with Ed's. It was like staring at a dead man.

Quickly Alphonse shoved the guard away, only for the other one to now try and stop them. The two alchemists hurried inside the courtyard past the gate with the guards following after. There was the sound of an alarm going off and several more guards showed up. One grabbed Ed while two got a hold of Al. Edward tried to pull away, only for the one to grab his shoulder even harder. Alphonse felt a third one take hold of his legs.

"What are these things." He struggled more only to find they were stronger then they looked. Ed was starting to loose his cool as he resisted the urge to bite the one in his personal space. They would quickly be taken down if they didn't do something soon.